The Foreign Ministry said that relations between Russia and the United States have reached a critical point

Relations between RUSSIA and the United States, through the fault of Washington, have reached a dangerous point, a dialogue and steps are needed to ensure Moscow's security guarantees. This is stated in the responses of the Russian Foreign Ministry to media questions.

“As for relations between Russia and the United States, which, through the fault of Washington, have approached a dangerous critical line, there is an urgent need for a serious substantive dialogue and concrete steps by the Americans and their allies to ensure reliable guarantees of Russia's security,” the ministry noted.

The ministry also called NATO activity on the “eastern flank”, unscheduled exercises and “military development of Ukrainian territory” unacceptable.

On January 12, the US Senate published a draft of a new package of sanctions prepared by the Democrats against Russia's national debt, the banking sector and the country's leadership, including against President Vladimir Putin. These restrictions are provided for in the event of a Russian "invasion" of Ukraine, the possibility of which Moscow has repeatedly denied. Two days later, Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced another "deterrence of authoritarian military action" bill in the Senate that would provide for personal sanctions against Putin and other leaders of the country in case of further escalation in Ukraine.